Shawn enjoys the challenge of investing in startups and scaleups, with game changing ideas that have high potential. It is the reason why she is one of the Dragons in the Dutch edition of tv-program Dragons’ Den. She truly loves helping entrepreneurs keep their feet on the ground and their head in the clouds, so that the optimal potential can be achieved. Hard work is key, but a good plan and keeping to it is also a major part of being successful.
She is a passionate person and always driven and very involved. Her clear approach to success allows entrepreneurs to see the bigger picture and to make the right decisions to reach the top. Nothing escapes her sharp-eyed vision at Orange Wings. She knows that on the road to success, sometimes the biggest opportunities are hidden in the smallest details.
Raised in Wisconsin and studied at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, Shawn moved to Holland in 1989 to become a self-made entrepreneur. In 2001 she founded Nature’s Pride, importer of unique fruits, vegetables and berries. She was CEO from the start until August 2017. She focused on improving the taste of avocados and mangos by letting the fruits hang on the tree longer for optimal maturity. Nature’s Pride eventually developed the ripening process that is still used today. This way the consumer can buy and eat ripe avocados and mangos every day without a waiting period of up to 6 days after purchase.
Shawn Harris was decorated to Officier in de Orde vanOranje-Nassau in 2017, her company Nature’s Pride was ranked in the top three in the Hillenraad 100 since 2015 and was finalist as EY Entrepreneur of the Year in 2008. She has been one of the investors on the Dutch Dragons’ Den since its start in 2020.
